First, a disclaimer: I don’t know much about the intricacies of the economy that runs this country, or about any economy for that matter. I’m not an expert in public policy either. I’m not a scholar (anymore, at least), and I haven’t read the literature regarding minimum wage. I’m not opposed to reading or learning about these things; I just simply don’t have the time to do so.

I recently did some simple math to figure out how many hours a week I work between my full-time, part-time, and freelancing jobs, and how many hours I have left to devote to other, not-as-important things — like sleeping, eating, and showering. The results were not good. Turns out, with traveling time included, I work between 55 and 60 hours per week. All of that work is done for pay that is less than a living wage. And as many hours as I work, I am 26-years-old living in a multigenerational home (with my parents, in my childhood bedroom), and I still fight to make ends meet.

And I am tired. I am tired of being poor, tired of being lied to about education, tired of counting change to get me through the last two days before the direct deposit. To you bootstrap-mentality supporters, the ones who believe that if I don’t like it I should get another job that pays better: Maybe you can offer me your help. It feels like I’ve done everything right. I have advanced degrees; a literally flawless, 4.0 GPA academic record; solid and varied work experience; strong work ethic; and an enviable skills set. I have sent out hundreds of applications for jobs that pay a living wage. I am networking; I built a website advertising myself; and I am tired and overworked and underpaid.

And guess what, you bootstrapers? It’s not enough. All this effort, all this stuff, these achievements — not enough. Not enough money, not enough time, not enough influential people. I’m not greedy, and I’m not some entitled little shit. I just want affordable housing and enough money so that I can think about something other than where my groceries are going to come from this week. Making it in this world is damn hard, and this is not my fault. I shouldn’t be working harder, because ultimately, it’s out of my control. It’s not me; it’s the economy, stupid, so you can just stfu.